Awkward Moments
by Cookieninja450
Summary: Halt has made a new friend! But then things get a little weird when Halt's new friend starts following him everywhere! Read and Review! Written by Cookieninja450 and WriteratHeart2.
1. Chapter 1

**Thanks to WriteratHeart2 for editing this! She shall be writing the next chapter of the story!**

Halt drifted in and out of the shadows, heading toward the fruit stand. Will had begged him to stock up on apples for Tug and Abelard. They had run out a few days back and, with Will and the horses combined whining like chickens with their heads cut off, he couldn't say no. So they had set off. Will was busy with his friend, Horace. He had told Will to meet him at the inn at noon.

Halt was standing at the fruit stand. The merchant shrank back. Inside, Halt sighed. All this nonsense about Rangers being black magicians. He took twelve apples, and poured some coins out of his pouch. They clinked as they spilled out.

"Thank you, Ranger!" the merchant squeaked. Halt curtly nodded, then headed for the inn. Suddenly he felt a strange sensation. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and adrenaline surged into his vein. He turned around, and saw a stout man staring at him from the corner of a street. He was chilled.

The man had ice blue eyes, a beak like nose, he was short, and he was bald. The man made Halt feel very uncomfortable. He quickened his pace, almost running for the inn. He stepped inside and his eyes scanned the room. He found Will and Horace sitting at a corner table. He walked over, and sat down.

"Hello, Horace, Will." he said, glancing behind him. "Hi Halt. Hey, why do you look so spooked?" Horace grinned. "You see a monster?" Halt turned around and glared. "Shut up, I'm looking at one right now." Horace chuckled good naturedly.

They ordered their food and set to eating. Halt wasn't even hungry. He picked at his food, thinking about the mysterious man. "Halt, if you're not going to eat that, can I have it?" Horace asked through a mouthful of food.

"Mm," Halt mumbled, pushing his dish toward Horace. The door of the inn opened and a gust of wind blew in. Halt shivered. And then he saw who came in. It was the man who'd been staring at him.

Halt's eyes widened. Will and Horace didn't appear to notice anything. It felt as if the inn had been deprived of all its warmth. The man started walking toward the side of the room Halt was sitting in. He came closer and closer, and then he was right in front of them.

"Hello. Are you Ranger Halt?" the short man asked. Halt nodded. "Well, hello there. May I sit?" Halt stared. "Yes, you may." The man sat down and started talking with Halt. "So, have a nice day?"

Halt nodded. "How about you?" The man smiled a wolfish grin. "I've had better." Halt leaned forward. "Tell me." And so, the man launched into the story of his day. Pretty soon, they were having a good time. Then, the man stood up. "I best be leaving now. Oh, by the way, my name is Arnold." Halt nodded. "Good bye, Arnold. I'll see you around."

And with that, Arnold left the inn. Horace and Will grinned. "Halt made a friend!" will squealed. Horace gasped. "Oh, really! Amazing! "

Halt glared. Horace and Will sang, "Halt has a best friend!" Halt reddened. "Shut up, imbeciles!" Halt hissed. "Your are so loud!" Will grinned. "He's going to be your best friend forever and ever and ever and ever and ever,"

Halt glared. "you're going to have so much fun!" Horace squealed. Then, Horace and Will said together, "And he's going to be your best friend for ever and ever and ever and ever!" Halt swore that the whole inn was listening. He sped outside with Will and Horace right behind him.

Horace went off back to battle school, and Will and Halt got back on their horses. "For ever and ever and ever," he teased. Halt glowered at him. "Shut that endless black hole you call a mouth up!"

They rode the rest of the ride in silence.

**Again, thanks to Writeratheart2! She's going to be writing the next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**This Chapter was written by WriteratHeart2. I just edited this chapter and uploaded it. I'll be writing the next chapter.**

Halt and Will arrived at the cottage. Will was quiet, which Halt found very suspicious. He and Will put Abelard and Tug into the stables, and went inside for some cups of coffee. Will was still eerily quiet by the time Halt had prepared two steaming mugs of coffee.

"What the devil is wrong with you? You haven't talked for at least ten minutes, that must be a record!" Halt said, offering Will a mug of coffee.

Will looked surprised. He then grinned childishly. He opened his mouth and loudly recited:

"Halt and Arnold, the best of friends,  
There are surely going to be no ends,  
Friends forever, that's for sure  
Oh, Halt is just so immature!"

Halt glared and gritted his teeth. To his horror, there was more. Will broke into the second verse:

"Halt has a best friend, oh yes he does,  
Oh, he is a bunch of fuzz,  
Friends forever, friends forever,  
Halt and Arnold, they will always together!"

Halt gritted his teeth again and stood up. "I never knew you were such a poet," he said slowly. He busied himself by preparing more coffee, while Will sang the song over and over again.

"Halt and Arnold, the best of friends, there are—"

"SHUT UP!" Halt roared, spilling half his mug of coffee onto his cloak. "I'll do anything, just SHUT UP!"

Will smiled in satisfaction. Then he continued singing: "—surely going to be no ends, friends forever, that's for sure, oh, Halt is just so immature!"

That was the breaking point for Halt. He threw a dirty look at Will, cursed loudly, and stomped outside. Halt ignored Abelard's pleading neigh for apples. He kept going forward until he was in the heart of the forest. Dark trees loomed over him, blocking the sunlight from view. A small leaf fluttered in from of Halt, landing gently on the mossy ground. Halt angrily stepped on the innocent leaf, and continued forward.

He arrived at an unfamiliar part of the forest. There was a large river snaking through, which Halt had never noticed before. He felt like he was being watched. Halt whipped around, eyes zooming in on everything. There was nothing. He waited, eyes still scanning the forest. He turned around uncomfortably and continued staring at the river. Memories rushed through him— meeting Arnold, chatting with him at the inn, and Will singing that stupid song minutes before. He wondered what Will was up to right now. Halt glanced around, still getting the feeling that he was being watched. His hands automatically gripped his longbow tightly. There was prickling sensation on the hairs on the back of his neck.

Halt quickly ran out of the forest, retracing his steps from earlier. He exited the forest and made a dash for the cottage. He ignored the feeling that he was being watched and bolted open the door of the cottage. Halt found Will safe as can be, humming the stupid song he'd made up earlier. Halt sighed.

Will smiled at Halt. He was painting red words on several sheets of parchment. Will held up the first three sheet which he'd set aside to dry, and showed Halt what he'd written.

Awkward Moment #1 read the first sheet.

Awkward Moment #2 stated the second sheet.

Awkward Moment #3 said the third sheet in bold red paint.

Halt frowned. "What are you doing with those things?" He gestured to the Awkward Moment papers, which all said the same two words. Only the number was different on every piece of parchment. Halt picked up the last sheet of parchment that Will had. On it, clearly stated, was Awkward Moment #330.

"Who do you expect is going to have that many awkward moments?" Halt asked vaguely.

Will grinned. "Why, you and Arnold, of course!"

Halt frowned again. "What are you—" he saw Will grinning at something behind him. He turned around. And staring at him, eyes gazing at him intently, his nose two inches from Halt's eyes, was Arnold.

Halt allowed a yelp to escape him. "What—are—you—doing—here?" Halt said furiously.

"Let's be best friends...forever..." Arnold said, a large smile creeping over his face. Halt's jaw dropped. Silence. Arnold kept on staring, the creepy smile was still on his face. Halt had an absolutely shocked face on.

Will smirked. Then he held up Awkward Moment #1 high into the air. He jumped up and down gleefully, beaming at Halt, who was caught in the awkward moment. Then Will loudly sang the song he'd made up earlier, so that Arnold could hear.

Arnold looked delighted. "Oh, Halt, did you make that song for me? Oh, Halt, we are best friends...oh, Halt..."

Will cracked up. He sang at the top of his lungs. "HALT HAS A BEST FRIEND, OH YES HE DOES—"

Arnold was looking at Halt with wide eyes of admiration. Halt stared from Arnold to Will and back again. Then, he took off unexpectedly. Oh, the insanity of it all! He couldn't take this anymore. He raced around the cottage at top speed. Arnold, who wasn't a very fast runner, had to speed-run to catch up to Halt.

"Halt, Halt, wait for me!" Arnold cried breathlessly. He chased after Halt, who was a good five meters ahead of him.

That made Halt go even faster. He raced around the house for what must've been the tenth lap, and looked over his shoulder. Arnold was nowhere in sight. Halt breathed a sigh of relief. Now he could hide. Arnold was insane, no doubt about it. He had to get away from him. He decided to hide in the bathroom. So he reached the bathroom, turned the doorknob, and froze.

**A little chat between the Writer and Co-Writer of this Story...**

**Cookieninja450: Arnold is insane, no doubt about it... **

**WriteratHeart2: You just figured that out?**

**Cookieninja450: No, not really.**

**Halt: Arnold is crazy.**

**WriteratHeart2 and Cookieninja450: Halt? When did you get here?**

**Arnold: You do know I'm right here? And heard everything you said?**

**WriteratHeart2, Halt and Cookieninja450: ...**

***Silence***

***Will holds up the Awkward Moment sign***

***More silence***

**Cookieninja450: I got to write the next chapter of this story.. BYE!**

***Runs away panicked***

**WriteratHeart2: I got to go edit that chapter! Bye! **

***Runs away freaked out***

**Halt: MORE COFFEE! **

***runs away***

**Arnold: ...**

***Silence* **

**Will: Halt and Arnold, the best of friends...**

**Hoped you liked this chapter! Review! It would been a lot to WriteratHeart2 and me! I'll be writing the next chapter soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

Halt stared at the sight before him. Arnold was in the bathroom, dancing and humming Will's song softly. Arnold stopped. Halt gaped. Silence. This was awkward. Will came in behind Halt, holding the sign awkward moment # 2. "Halt and Arnold, the best of friends," he sang loudly.

Halt turned around and dashed out of there. Arnold followed after him. Will ran after them both, singing his song. Halt crashed through the woods, not caring how much noise he made. He just had to get away from that mad man.

He stopped and looked around. He spotted a tall, large tree. He started climbing. He scrambled up the branches, and then stopped. He settled himself on a thick branch. _Arnold will never find me here, _he thought. He didn't know how mistaken he was.

He was gazing off into the distance, thinking of what to do next, when Arnold popped out of a large hole in the tree. "How you doing?" he asked, a insane grin on his face. Halt yelled with surprise.

He stumbled and fell from the tree, grabbing on to a branch before he could fall any further. He hoisted himself up, then jumped from branch to branch until he was on the ground, running.

He tore through the woods, making it back to the cottage. He ripped the door open and sprinted inside. He found Will making more awkward moment signs. "Hurry!" he cried. "Block all the entrances!"

So Halt and Will blocked the doors with chairs, dressers, and couches. Halt turned around and grabbed a chair and passed it to Will. Will set the chair down in front of the door. Halt turned again for an object, and was staring into the eyes of Arnold. "Here," he said creepily, handing him another chair.

Halt's face paled and he stared. Will turned around and held up the sign. He sprinted pass Arnold, tearing open the door to his room and darted inside. He locked the door, jumped on his bed, burrowed himself in his blankets, and just stayed there. He shivered, pulling the blankets around him.

"Sure is cold in here," someone said, on the other side of the bed. Halt screamed in terror. He scurried out, running to the big lake in the woods. He made it, and threw himself into the water. He shivered. The water was very cold.

He plunged under, swimming through. A salmon swam past him. He looked to his left, and saw Arnold, waving his hand in the water. Halt opened his mouth to yell, and water surged into his mouth. He surfaced, and spit it out.

Then, he got out of the lake, and sprinted for the cabin again. All day the same thing happened. Halt would hide some place else, and Arnold would find him. By evening, Arnold had called, "Goodbye, Halt! Or should I say BFFAEAEAE! That stands for best friends forever and ever and ever and ever! I'll see you tomorrow!" Halt scuttled off back to the cabin, and by dinner time, he was almost as insane as Arnold.

His eyes darted around, looking at everything. He didn't even touch his food. "So, Halt, how's your day?" Will asked.

Halt's head snapped up. "Fine, what about you?" he replied, shuddering. "Goo-" Will started, but he was interrupted.

"WHY ARE YOU STARING AT ME LIKE THAT? WHAT HAVE I EVER DONE TO YOU?" Halt shouted. Then he said, "Oh, Will, you should really eat all your vegetables. They have lots and lots of good stuff," Will stared.

"Unicorns, pretty ponies, demon waffles, and dragons," Halt sang. "WHY ARE YOU SO MEAN? YOU ALWAYS YELL AT ME! HAVE I EVER DONE ANYTHING TO UPSET YOU? I'M SORRY!" Halt shouted. Will stood up, got one of the awkward moment signs, got a quill, and scribbled something out. Then he held the sign up.

It read, _awkward mood swings!_ Halt took one look at that sign, then curled up in the fetal position and sobbed.

**FUNNY CHAPTER! I think it was hilarious how Halt had mood swings.**


	4. Chapter 4

Will watched in fascination as Halt had his freakish mood swings. On minute Halt was on his knees, begging for cookies, the next, he was crying and sucking his thumb. Will was utterly perplexed. He tried to help Halt, but all he did was make the mood swings worse.

Right now, Halt was rolling on the ground hysterically. He was laughing maniacally, staring at his hands in fascination. Will opened his mouth to say something, but Halt had another mood swing just then.

Halt's face was red. Tears were streaming down his face, and he was at his knees, crying into Will's foot. "WHY ARE YOU SO MEAN?" Halt cried hysterically, which made Will think he was paranoid. Something was wrong with Halt. And Will was sure of who had caused it—Arnold. Will patted the crying Halt's back, and then he had another mood swing. Halt's eyes grew big and he was on the brink of tears. His eyes watered and he sat down childishly, and smiled creepily at Will.

"Can you give me a hug?" Halt said in a sweet, girly voice. He smiled widely at Will, who was frozen with shock.

"You're insane," Will said unconcernedly.

Halt's eyes grew even more watery. "You're so mean!" he cried babyishly, and started bawling. "I've never said anything mean to you, yet you have the strength to torture me like this!"  
Will rolled his eyes. He was getting used to Halt's stupid mood swings. It was in his daily routine now: wake up, deal with Halt's mood swings, eat breakfast, deal with Halt's mood swings, practice archery, deal with Halt's mood swings, make more Awkward Moment cards, deal with Halt's mood swings, watch Arnold creep Halt out, deal with Halt's mood swings...

There was a knock at the door. Halt, who was in the middle of a hilarious fitness exercise, froze. Will opened the door and standing outside...was Arnold. Halt yelped and said something like, "Dirty old rat, comes to torture me every day!" and took off. Will grinned at Arnold and began to make up a third verse for his song:

"Halt is really, really fat, he calls Arnold a dirty old rat—"

"HEY!" Halt called, "I'm not fat!"

Will shrugged. "I couldn't find anything else that rhymed with 'rat', so I—" But he was cut short by a couple of yelps, screams, and crashes. And then everything was silent. Will whipped around. Arnold was gone! Worried, Will raced around the house to see where Halt and Arnold had gone. But they were nowhere to be seen. Now Will was really worried.

"Halt?" Will shouted, peering through every door. "HALT? If you can hear me, say something!" But there was no reply. Will sighed desperately. "Arnold? Can you hear me? If you're not dead, say something, please!" Still, no reply came. The house was absolutely still. That left two options. Either both Halt and Arnold were dead, or they were playing a hide-and-seek game.

"Oh, so now you're playing hide-and-seek, are you?" Will said angrily. "Well, I'll find you, wherever you are..." Will searched the house again. He couldn't find anything. "Guys...this isn't funny! Please come out!" Will said desperately. There was no reply whatsoever. Finally, he was convinced that neither Arnold nor Halt was in the house. That made him more nervous. How could they just...disappear? Just like that?

Will called Halt's name one more time, and, getting no reply, he strode out into the morning sunshine. He'd ride to Redmont, get Horace, and ask him for help. He was just saddling Tug up when he saw a rustle of movement behind him. Will whipped around, and his eyes narrowed to the exact spot where he'd seen the movement. Though the person who had moved was carefully camouflaged, Will could make out a thin outline of a green-gray cloak. Will gasped. "Halt? Is that you?" Will said loudly.

The cloaked figure moved so that Will could see him clearly. It was, indeed, Halt. Halt put on a pained expression. "Shhh..." he whispered. "I'm hiding from Arnold." But just as he said that, there was a second movement. And out of nowhere, Arnold popped up.

"You were hiding from me? What in the name of Araluen would you do that for?" Arnold said, surprised.

Halt groaned, abandoned his old hiding spot, and raced off. Arnold followed. That left Will alone with Tug and Abelard. "Umm..." Will said to Tug, "I just came to see if you needed anything. Bye!" Will rushed off to follow Halt and Arnold. Tug was left looked extremely disappointed.

Will ran after Arnold, and caught up with Halt. When Halt saw Will, he muttered something under his breath. It sounded something like, "Will, we've got to get rid of Arnold. Once and for all."  
5mins ago


	5. Chapter 5

Halt picked up the sack of apples. "Will!" he called. Will came rushing in. "Is Arnold back? Are we under attack?" he asked. Halt shook his head. "The plan's starting." Will's eyes widened. Then, an evil grin spread over his face. Halt placed the sack in his hands. "Get going," he told Will.

Will ran outside, heading for the stables, the sack bouncing against his thigh. Inside the stables, he opened the sack and pulled out an apple. He handed it to Tug, and the pony chewed on it appreciatively. Will gave another apple. And another. And another. Abelard stomped his hooves and snorted angrily. _What about me? You're spoiling him. He'll become a very fat horsey if you don't stop!_

Will grimaced. "Sorry boy," he whispered. "But we need to get rid of Arnold. And this is the only way. I promise you, you'll get a bunch of apples later, when this is all over with." Abelard neighed. Tug snorted smugly. Will gazed sternly at Tug. "Tug, no boasting," he warned.

Will looked into Tug's eyes intently. "Now that you've had all the apples you could ever wish for, I need a favor." Tug looked up. "I need you to.." Will whispered the plan to Tug. Tug neighed to show he understood, and Will nodded. He went back to the cabin. Now all he had to do was wait.

Will paced the room, and Halt chewed on his fingernails. They waited for about half an hour, and then Arnold came in. "Hello Halt! Lets have fun!" Arnold cried. Halt got up and rushed to the door. He went outside, with Arnold in pursuit. Will followed. He led Arnold to the lake, and stopped abruptly. Arnold came crashing through the trees.

Will whistled a high, long note. He waited, and the Tug came galloping. Will pointed to Arnold. Tug nodded, and then focused on Arnold who was closing in on Halt. Tug stopped, then rushed to Arnold.

Arnold saw Tug at the last minute, and tried to step out of the way. He failed miserably. Tug rammed into his side. Arnold yelped. "Dirty horse," he hissed. That made Tug go mad. He drove Arnold to the edge of the forest. Halt and Will remained where they were, waiting for Tug to return. Tug came back after a few minutes.

"Gone for good?" Will asked. Tug whinnied. _"For good." _Will whooped with pleasure. Halt smiled.

For good.


	6. Chapter 6

Will gave Abelard four apples and patted Tug on the back. "Good job, Tug," Will whispered. Then he gave Tug an extra apple. Abelard snorted angrily.  
The two Rangers went back to the cottage, grateful that Arnold couldn't intrude anymore.

One year later...

"Will, I'm going to the market for coffee!" Halt called as he took Abelard from the stable. Will, however, looked extremely nervous. "Halt-"  
Halt knew that tone of voice. Something was very, very wrong. He whipped around and almost fainted. It was Arnold. Arnold had grown very much since the previous year—he was starting to grow a small, peachy beard and he looked much older.

Arnold smiled. "Why, nice to see you, Halt! How are you doing, old friend? We're still best friends, aren't we?"  
Halt looked at Will for explanation. Will just shrugged. Halt glared at Arnold. "I thought you were gone!" he shouted, his fist in the air.  
Arnold looked startled. "Gone? You thought I was gone? You're kidding, right?"  
Halt made no movement. He just stared at Arnold.

"Oh, I knew you were kidding, Halt!" Arnold said, beaming at Halt. "We're still friends! Give me a hug!"  
Halt stood rooted to the spot. He did not twitch a single muscle. He could've been frozen. But then the grizzled Ranger spoke. "I do not give people hugs," he said tonelessly.

Arnold looked disappointed. "Everyone gives hugs!" he said, holding his arms out wider. "All you have to do is put your arms out like this, and then just..." Arnold struggled to find the word. "...just...HUG!" he said, annoyed. "DON'T YOU KNOW HOW TO HUG?"  
Halt shook his head. "Never heard of such a thing," he said simply.  
"I thought we were friends!" Arnold cried desperately. "Friends always hug!"

Halt shook his head again. "Then I daresay I am not your friend," he said.  
"But...we've been through so much together, and you even wrote a song about us!" Arnold waved his hand at Will, who was now bellowing the Halt and Arnold song.  
Halt pressed his lips together. "That was Will."

Arnold looked depressed. "But it's about US!" he cried. "US! US! US as friends, US together, US—"  
"As I said before, I am not your friend," Halt said, a little louder this time. "Do you hear me? So either go away or stay here and suffer."

That threat was all Arnold needed. He looked on the verge of tears. "Fine!" Arnold cried, glaring at Halt. "Fine! Be that way! I'll find a new friend! A friend that can HUG! Goodbye, Halt! You were never a good friend anyway!" Arnold stomped off, crying all the way. Silence.

Will made a weird noise behind Halt. Halt turned, and found the apprentice holding a sign that said Awkward Moment #330.  
Halt was surprised. "I thought you stopped with those years ago!" he said.  
Will smiled. "Nope! I knew Awkward Moment three-hundred thirty was bound to come sometime, so I saved all of them! Aren't you surprised that you've had that many awkward moments?"  
Halt shook his head. "It doesn't matter now. Let's go have some coffee, you can have extra sugar today..." Halt was in a good mood now that Arnold was gone for good.

Halt let a small escape him. Arnold was gone, things were peaceful, all was well. Nothing could possibly go wrong...

THE END


End file.
